This sponge soaks up design savvy

Design*Sponge blogger shares ideas, tips and step-by-step instructions in new book

Grace Bonney loves upholstery, she says. In her book, Design*Sponge at Home, she shows how to make this headboard she created for her bedroom for $200 to $400.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, Postmedia News

The way Grace Bonney saw it, design books fell into two categories: eye-candy or practical. One contained beautiful photos full of inspiration and gorgeous interiors. The other showed you how to prettify your home with do-it-yourself manuals and step-by-step instructions.

But Bonney, founder of the popular blog Design*Sponge, wondered why you couldn't have two in one.

Turns out her instinct was spot on. The result is Design*Sponge at Home (Artisan Publishing, $40), a book that's filled with bright, playful and creative interiors and shows you how to translate those looks into your home, a combination that speaks to today's designsavvy, value-oriented home decorators.

"I felt like there needed to be a book that combined something that was beautiful and inspirational as well as really functional and practical, and I really wanted to bring those two concepts together and it was hard because most publishers want you to either be just a home book or a how-to book but we really wanted to combine them. This generation in particular is quite interested in inspiration as well as actual tips for how to do it at home," Bonney said in a telephone interview.

Bonney's core beliefs - that great style need not break the bank or require a professional degree - has earned her legions of fans who, like her, don't have thousands of dollars to spend on pricey furniture but still want a space that reflects who they are.

This is the raison d'être of the Design*Sponge blog, which started in 2004 as a hobby and has turned into one of the most popular design blogs with 75,000 daily readers.

Sneak peeks in the book include the homes of interior designer Genevieve Gorder (whom Bonney and many of her readers started watching when Gorder was on TV's Trading Spaces), Kin Ying Lee, head designer of the fashion brand Madewell, and Michelle Adams, co-founder of the widely-read online design magazine Lonny.

That these women and the brands they work for are much loved by today's design-savvy 20and 30-something set speaks to the way Bonney connects with, and reflects, the taste of her readers.

For careful Canadian readers, there are north-of-the-border references, too - a painting by Vancouver artist Zoe Pawlak sits above Bonney's stove. She also mentions her love for Hudson's Bay blankets.

The interiors featured, though beautiful, never feel precious or overly styled. Instead, they give the feeling of lived-in homes with lived-in lives, reaffirming Bonney's promise that "every home is packed with ideas that anyone can copy."

Design*Sponge for the Home is split into five sections: sneak peeks into people's homes; DIY projects; DIY basics; flower workshop and before-and-after. More than half the book, said Bonney, is new content that hasn't been featured on her blog.

One of Bonney's favourite do-ityourself projects is a wine-crate display case "that uses a found material and just some patterned paper and that takes no longer than an hour.

"It's just a really fun way to add some colour to a wall and some storage," she said.

A look into Bonney's former Brooklyn apartment also features a fun way to use wallpaper - in your closet.

"I love using wallpaper in really small spaces. It's a fun little surprise where most people don't expect to have colour and pattern," she said.

Keeping today's turbulent economy in mind, an estimated price is attached to each DIY project. The cheapest? $2 to create a yarn vase.

For people at the beginning stages of decorating who are feeling overwhelmed, Bonney suggests starting with colour.

"I always tell people to start with colour, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to find an existing piece of furniture or pillow or an object you love and pull a palette from that. Because if you've got a piece you love, even if it's just a fabric swatch, you can always pull a colour from that or several colours, and use that as a jumping-off point," she said.

Bonney, whose style has evolved from what she calls "southern preppy" to more minimal, said she doesn't believe in design rules. She's more interested in the joy of experimenting.

"My only rule is no rules. This generation in particular of people in their 20s and 30s who are renters and first-time homeowners who are doing things by hand are proving all those rules about 'don't do this colour' or 'do this,' it doesn't matter. It really depends on your personal taste and your budget," said Bonney.

"This particular group of homeowners decided to take design back for themselves and I consider myself a part of that movement and I don't think it's about creating a perfect space. If you really want a space that speaks to who you are, then you're the only person who can set the rules."

GRACE BONNEY'S TIPS FOR DECORATING ON THE CHEAP

Paint: "Paint is everyone's best friend. Whether you use it for an accent wall or you're painting furniture or inside your cabinet, using paint as a pop-up colour is a really inexpensive way to decorate."

Hardware stores: "Another great thing to consider is using hardware stores as a supply shop. We use them all the time.

We use contact paper to customize furniture. You can use nuts and bolts and create patterns that you lay onto furniture. I just think looking in stores that aren't traditional design stores is a great way to save money."

Found objects: "I think taking advantage of found objects is a really great way to save money, whether you hit a thrift store, a flea market or an estate sale. I don't buy anything brand new in a store anymore. It just seems pointless."

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